Monday, May 9, 2011

En Voyage Perfumes is a Natural Niche Perfumery Brand located in one of the most charming coasts of USA - California - Carmel-by-the-Sea. A small city with more or less 3,000 residents, including famous actress and singer Doris Day, with a one mile of white sandy beaches, and the home of many artists, such as perfumer and owner of En Voyage Perfumes, Shelley Waddington. Her creations are a reflection of the beauty of its nature, combined with her refined professional training in France, and her talent to develop elegant and exclusive scents, with eco bio-ethycal fragrance materials.In 2010 I had the fortune to receive fragrances from her both collections,Odissey and Carmel-by-the-Sea. Last year I reviewed Pêche Noir (click HERE for the complete review), which in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful fragrances with peach notes I know. Today, I bring Makeda, a beautiful fragrance, inspired by a biblical couple - King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.

MAKEDA

In Biblical Times, The Queen of Sheba or Makeda, ruled a nation named Ethiopia (the home of the first homo sapiens in the Middle East), and according to legends, she was a dark mysterious woman. Inspired by her, and her love for King Solomon, the perfumer also describes her fragrance as being mysterious. To me, the only mystery here is how did she manage to be in my mind for 40 days, during my trip to the Middle East.

Photo credit: + Q Perfume Blog*Jerusalem - Western Wall

Photo credit: + Q Perfume Blog*Jerusalem - Western Wall

It all started in Jerusalem in a very cold night. I approached the Western Wall from the outside, I got out of the car to take this picture. The Western Wall is located in the Old City, at the Temple Mountain, and it was built by King Solomon. It was not the first time I visited this Holy City and the Temple, but it was the first time in my life that I stood there at night, thinking of Shelley Waddington!

One can think of many things near the Temple, specially if from the Jewish faith. But the fact is, Makeda moved me in a way (its beauty stroke me so intensely), that all I head in my mind of was thoughts of King Solomon with Queen of Shebba - Makeda fragrance - Shelley Waddington.

When this perfume touches the skin, you feel the sparkling notes of grapefruit tickling the senses and illuminating the soul. It brings an uplifting aura that probably came back from my memory, the minute I stepped outside that car and I felt the freezing air on my face! Citrusy notes always bring me a fresh cooling sensation. In Makeda, the citrusy opening is a combination of grapefruit and bitter oranges notes. (Bitter oranges, also called Seville oranges, grow in the Mediterranean region). As its scent is a mix, something like a combination of sweet oranges and grapefruits, with a bitter touch - the first thing that came to my mind when I first used the perfume was: Holy Land! (said to be the land of milk & honey, but in fact is the land of citrus and rosemary!) So there I was, in a freezing cold night in the Holy Land, overwhelmed by the beauty of the huge illuminated blocks of the meleke limestones of the Wall, thinking of Shelley, and how she definitely managed to capture the essence of this region. Thinking about hundreds of years of Biblical history and breathing it through my nostrils, I actually could smell the scent of Makeda in the air.

Photo credit: + Q Perfume Blog*

Dried fruits - Ben Yehuda Market - Jerusalem

Photo credit: + Q Perfume Blog*

Dried fruits - Akko Market

Makeda has a combination of fruity notes that Shelley calls Mediterranean. Peaches and apples receive a small strawberry nuance, becoming very cheerful and festive. The citrus notes blend with the fruits, and once they start to mature on the skin, very slowly and very smoothly till ripping in its fullness, the fragrance becomes very sensual-sweet. I visited many Jewish-Arabic markets in the Middle East, and it was always a joy to see the colorful pile of dried fruits displayed on the stands. You can smell the aroma coming from the pulp of the fruits, warming up as the sun rises up at midday. The aromas of all fruits than mix together to compose a fragrance that is unique, and its sweetness spreads all over the place, inviting you to taste and buy. Makeda came again to my mind many times. The fruity notes of the fragrance were there, as I passed through the alley and took photos of those stands. Today, smelling the fragrance on my skin, I am back to the to a shiny day in Akko, tasting delicious dried pineapples, pears, dates, apricots, etc...The introduction of the fruits in this perfume works as an announcement to sensuality, to a power given to you in a precious bottle, just as Queen Makeda, who gave to King Solomon many precious gifts as she arrived in the Holy Land. As Jewish Biblical passages teach us, King Solomon was a very good negotiator and a man of wisdom, and he knew that the Ebony queen had many precious treasures and wealth. The Queen knew about the king's wisdom and power, so she crossed the Red Sea, with a caravan, to meet with him. Both monarchs joint their kingdoms in marriage, and exchanged their wealth and power. Many have mentioned love when citing this alliance, but he who knows his Bible better, knows that this was political and financial bond. But in the world of perfumery, we can make it more romantic, can't we?

Photo credit: + Q Perfume Blog*

As I left Jerusalem to the Dead Sea and then to finally get to Eilat (Jordanian border), I drove hours into the Negev desert, exploring its beautiful dry landscapes. Kilometers of pastel sandy colors, of many shades and shapes passed thought my eyes. Also quite overwhelming! Specially when you reach the Nabatean Spice Route. (but this is another story to tell later).As everybody fell asleep in the car, there I was, driving alone with my thoughts about Sheba and her journey to meet the King... Shelley was once again in my mind! I thought of her notes of cedarwood dancing around unfurled petals of jasmine, embracing my skin. Full blooms spread with desert winds, reaching the woodiness of the fragrance. Listening to David Broza's cd...the wind entering through the slit of the window, whispering in my ears... Thinking of Sheba dancing for king's Solomon...her body spread the scent of Makeda...all that kept me from falling asleep after hours on the road.

As I travelled back home, Makeda stayed on my desk for quite a while, waiting for its review. It was hard to start the article because I could not find anything that would describe the fragrance, rather than the Middle Eastern experience. The fact is...I could have looked into a 1000 musics, master painters' canvases, movies or personalities, like I do most of the time, but Makeda is unique, with a personality of her own. Mystery solved, she impersonates the feminine aura of the Holy Land, not all of it. She is felt everywhere and can be seen nowhere. Once you are there, you will find her. Far from it, you will miss her. Lucky us that Shelley has succeed to bottled her, so we can wear not only a beautiful fragrance, with sparkling fruits, amazing jasmine with a woody accent, and also be close to the Holiest of the Lands, when it is missed.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

The smell of melting fat, dripping into the fire, making bigger flames; the aroma of the meat browning slowly...the smell of hot charcoal heating inside the grill is very masculine. Although women cook for ages, most barbecues are made by men. They simply love to buy the grill, the knives, the meat, the beer... For us latinos, barbecue is 100% a masculine thing. We think of the great grillers of the South of Brazil, El Gauchos of Argentina... I guess, just like Bull fighting is a male thing in Spain, barbecue is for us Brazilians.

Sandrina, a fragrance specialist and executive editor for the fantastic website FRAGRANTICA, (where she posts amazing fragrance reviews) mentioned in PERFUME TALKS (our facebook perfume discussion group), the smell of bonfires. For her it brings an olfactive memory of men. She also mentioned M by Puredistance - a fragrance with this smokey touch.

FLANNEL SHIRTS

photo credit: Urban Outfitters.com

Originally made in Wales since the 16th century, flannel shirts were fabricated with carded wool and worsted yarn. Today it is basically made from cotton, wool or synthetic fabrics. Whether worn by lumberjacks, grunge Nirvana fans, railroad workers or cowboys, flannel shirts, according to Michael Mattison, publisher, and editor of amazing SPICE OF LIFE, (a blog about spices, lifestyle and traveling), flannel lumberjack shirts was something trendy, back in the 70's - 80's and he recalls being hugged by his uncles, older cousins and grandfather. So, the smell of flannel mixed with musk, is a very personal masculine olfactive memory of his childhood. I agree with him. The smell of flannel is so masculine that Geoffrey Beene launched in the 70's, a masculine fragrance inspired by the fabric, called Eau de Gray Flannel EDC, with spicy greens & citrusy notes, sandalwood, vetiver and musks.

EAU de GREY FLANNEL EDC by GEOFFREY BEENE

GASOLINE, WD-40

photo credit: poundland.co.uk

Here in Brazil, women does work in gas stations, but this is in the last 5 years. Women does have independence nowadays, but mainly fixing things, taking care of cars, putting the hand on greasy things is a "man thing".

Well, I think this list could go on and on...you found here many references...a starting point to think about the subject. A reminder to amplify your horizons and smell the world. Olfactive awareness is a very powerful tool!

Perfume Talk members all participated by giving me a list of fragrances that, in their opinion, brings manhood to the skin:

Silvio Levi, co-founder of Esxence - Antimatiere EDP by Le Nez by perfumer Isabelle Doyen. In his opinion, this is the way every man should smell!

Dominique Archambou, fragrance passionate - Déclaration Cartier - or a dirty leather note or a barbershop scent, such as a classic fougére.

Eudiza Quevedo, a Mexican fragrance lover and blogger, editor of A MAL PARIDA - salty, marine, chlorine, sperm notes...something between the freshness of Hugo Boss and strong fragrances such as Polo, English Leather (reminds of her dad), Carlo Corinto (her grandfather), plus - notes of cumin, armpits, ink from the newspaper and gasoline.

Heidi Schoerder, a fragrance lover - gas station!

Stacey Moore, natural perfumer - a bundle of Northwood Twigs that she sell at work.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Although some women do appreciate a good whisky (for me straight, no rocks), it is fair to say that it is mostly ordered by men. Women tend to order cocktails, wines, champagne, etc..."girlie stuff".

The smell of whisky is a mixture of molasses, grains (such as barley, rye, wheat) and oak wood. But since every distillery has its own recipe, whisky can vary according to the brand. Also the barrels can be made of other woods, such as cherry...than you can have a fruit accent to the whisky. But I am just a basic connoisseur ...so I won't give a lecture here. The thing is, whisky is such a masculine kind of thing. Classy while sipping, disgusting coming from the mouth of a drunk guy being totally inappropriate! And it is also a winter kind of smell. I just love the combination of the aroma of a good whisky and the smell of wood burning inside the fireplace (not politically right, I know...), but still, it does smell wonderful! By the way - burning wood does have something to do with lumberjacks...doesn't it?

BO - ARMPIT

photo credit: www.news.sciencemag.org

It is sexy, it is a turn on...men have a special natural smell that can make women go up the walls. How men smell depends on their genes, what they eat and how frequently they bathe. Since women tend to care more about body odors, the smell of armpit is mostly related to men. Besides, according to scientists women's perception of BO is much intense than men's. Awareness is related to mating - and seems that we get to choose the best males to mate ;-). The fragrance blogger Annelie Högild, a married woman and mother of 2 boys men told me that men tend to smell different than teenagers. She said that the boys exhale a "puppy" kind of smell. I also read somewhere than men's BO are more cumin-scented and women tend to smell more like onions (ugh!).

Also in the same category, sweaty t-shirts and dirty sweaty socks are more likely to be related to men than to the feminine world. I know guys! You are all very clean and very perfumed...but every boy had his "no bath for me - stinky phase", which I doubt you know any girl who did!

"In 1996, Claus Wedekind, a zoologist at Bern University in Switzerland, conducted what's become known as the stinky T-shirt study. Wedekind had 44 men each wear a t-shirt for two nights straight, then tested how women reacted to the smelly shirts. Like mice, women preferred the scent of men whose immune systems were unlike their own. If a man's immune system was similar, a woman tended to describe his T-shirt as smelling like her father or brother." by Robert Ray Britt for Live Science.

URINOL

photo credit: www.vivercidades.org.br

The smell of piss is 100% masculine for one simple reason, we sit and they stand, frequently missing the target! According to Robert, female mice have an olfactive memory for the odor of the piss of their mate. WOW!

DEODORANT

photo credit: www.image.mirrors.co. uk

On the other hand, deodorant is also a "men thing". Have you notice that men have the bad habit of spraying deodorant all over themselves? Women don't do that! So, the very strong smell of cheap fragrance buffered by layers of clothes is just 100% masculine! Not to mention AXE deodorant...It takes me back to high school...it was a must then...OMG!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

To LiamContinuing inspired by barbershops and masculine products, I decided to research a little bit more about this world that fascinate all of us women. What are the scent, smells, aromas, fragrances connecting men to their manhood? Which are the olfactive memories that we have collected during all our lives that immediately bring us the image of men? Is there such a thing as "men's smells"?

Before any feminist jumps and makes angry remarks, I will list activities and things that TODAY may also belong to the feminine world, but due to the fact that they were originally, and for a long time associated to the masculine world, they are scent-connect to them:

CIGARS & TOBACCO SCENT

Photo credit: donpinocigars.com

It might be stinky for some, even offending for many, but the fact is, that for others, cigar scent brings the olfactive memories of beloved relatives and friends. They feel secure once they are around it. I heard many people saying that he/she relates to the smell of cigars as an olfactive memory of their childhood.

Cigars were always related to the image of success. A pleasure for the elite, for men of wealth. Many private clubs had a lounge where men could gather to smoke their cigars and make business. Fine mansions used to have a library with leather chairs where men would sit, enjoy a good reading, and smoke his cigar. Some Gentlemen Private clubs, besides being a sanctuary where women were not allowed in, were places to savor a cigar.

Tightly rolled fermented and dried tobacco leaves are enjoyed by men since the early ages. The fermenting process is responsible for the cigar aroma, as the leaf dies slowly and gracefully. Unflavored cigars (the preference for purists) have a aromatic, honeyed, sweet smell.

"Eating and sleeping are the only activities that should be allowed to interrupt a man's enjoyment of his cigar" - Mark Twain

POLISHED SHOES

Photo credit: life-trade.com

Although polishing shoes is not just for men, women tend to buy new ones when the ones she has in her wardrobe are not shinning as new anymore. I personally have Mink oil cream by Kiwi, to preserve my hiking boots, but mostly, the smell of polished shoes is one of the top listed smells of men. Also to remember, most men relates to military service memories when it comes to shoe polishing. Polished shinning boots is an order when Army is concerned. If not, army jail or 200 push ups in the middle of the night...

Polished shoes smells like a combination of leather and waxes. It can have a turpentine, bee wax, minky, carnauba smell combined with leather, depending on the product used on the shoes. A bit animalic, a bit chemical. The fact is, polished shoes comes also with the idea of a classic man, a refined man. A man who cares about his looks.

"you know the kind of man you are dating my darling, just looking at his shoes" - my grandfather wisdom.

CORDUROY SUITS

Photo credit: detailsmagazine.com

I know, I know...women wear plenty of corduroy! The thing is...we also wear a lot of scented products, including perfumes, that masks the scent of the fabrics we wear. When men wear winter suits, such as tweed and corduroys, the smell of the fabric is easily noticed and captured. Corduroy is a textile made of twisted fibers that are woven to be paralleled and form a cord pattern. Good corduroy is made of cotton and it has a typical man scent.

RECENTLY MOWED GRASS

photo credit: familytreeandturfcare.com

When women smell recently mowed grass, only one thought comes to her mind: my husband did not cut the grass as I told him to do it last weekend! Sometimes we also think about fragrances like Untitled by Margiela, but mostly, we think of men. I think it is because grass mowing is a hard job requiring some strength. The smell of recently cut grass is very green, fresh and said to be very relaxing. Freshly cut grass also brings the association of the sports played on field, mainly played my men originally. Today we have soccer, baseball polo female teams... but originally, they all were played by men.

The scent of cut grass is spread on the air when the blade cuts the fibers of the leaves. Volatile gases are released on the air and captured by our noses. To me, the smell of recently cut grass takes me back to my childhood, when I used to attend to Golf Championships. I loved to see men swinging their golf clubs. I also remember the joy I had to walk barefooted and feel the grass tickling between my little toes. All golf teachers were men. So to me, I relate to manhood 100%.

About the Author

Simone Shitrit is a Sao Paulo-based olfactive designer, author & editor for +Q Perfume Blog, +Q Perfume Trends & Blends Blog. She was for more than 2 years exclusive fragrance contributor for the Brazilian Beauty site Cristiana Arcangeli (The iconic entrepreneur and reference to the Brazilian Cosmetic & Perfumery Industry), fragrance evaluator and free lancer writer for the Brazilian Beauty & Cosmetics magazine Atualidade Cosmética. Exclusive Fragrance Consultant for one of the largest Brazilian news Broadcasters - BandNews. She also gives lectures and promotes events about perfumery and for perfume brands.

As a Fragrance expert and consultant always cutting edge, she was the first and only perfume blogger to be a juror of the Brazilian Perfumery & Cosmetics Awards - Atualidade Cosmética; consultant for big fashion magazines such as Marie Claire and House and Garden in Brazil; freelancer evaluator for Fragrance Houses in Brazil; and is always invited to be present in fashion, design, gourmet and perfumery events.

With a background in International Trading, Business Administration and International Marketing and Corporate Law, she has been working with multinational companies and governmental organizations. Today she is the senior marketing manager for Orphek Led Lighting Solutions.

All the contents of this blog belong to its Author and Editor, and are protected by intellectual property rights. +Q Perfume contents (texts, opinions and pictures) and layout are protected by copyrights laws, which prohibit any use of the material appearing on this blog for commercial purposes under the applicable legislation. All pictures shown in the blog were courtesy of its owners; therefore they cannot be copied without previous consent of the Author.